


How to uncover a Bat Secret: Step 1 Get Adopted, Step 2 Nightmare-fueled exploration

by Bronywn, crazyjc



Series: Marinette Drake-Wayne [4]
Category: DCU, Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Batfam adoption, Bio!Dad AU, Fluff, Light Hurt/Comfort, MariBat, Marinette is Martha Antoinette Drake, Serial Adopter Bruce Wayne
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-23
Updated: 2020-04-23
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:48:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,504
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23798731
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bronywn/pseuds/Bronywn, https://archiveofourown.org/users/crazyjc/pseuds/crazyjc
Summary: Once Batman and co arrive to get evidence from the Drake siblings, a few things are finally looked into--namely one Tim Drake knows who Batman and Robin are and the siblings' situation. Then the other Drake stumbles into figuring it out... eventually, Martha (Marinette) is only seven and it took Tim until he was nine to solve it on his own.Not a stand alone read.
Series: Marinette Drake-Wayne [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1700293
Comments: 23
Kudos: 423





	How to uncover a Bat Secret: Step 1 Get Adopted, Step 2 Nightmare-fueled exploration

**Author's Note:**

> Read the rest of the Martha Drake-Wayne series for this to make sense, otherwise you will be a bit lost.

Martha bounced back and forth in the attic waiting for Mr. Batman and Robin to come. She and Tim spent the whole day getting her recordings (voice and video) from her special hiding spots. (There are a lot of false drawers. And she had her notebooks with which recording was from when and the names mentioned and things they talked about. Even if her spelling in English isn’t all that good (French is sooo much more consistent. English should take notes!))

Tim and her both knew she had another hiding place she hadn’t opened since, well, Camera Hiding Place is important, okay?

“Are you sure they’ll be here soon?” Martha asked for the twenty-fifth time in the last ten minutes.

“Yes Marebear,” Tim assured her while smoothing her hair. “Its Batman and Robin.”

“Do you think Batgirl will come?” She could feel Something out the window, but not what or who or how many. Just a lot of Safe. A bit of worry too.

“And miss out on meeting a fan?” Batgirl said from the window.

“They’re here!” Martha ran over to open it, only for Tim to beat her to it.

“Hiya,” Batgirl grinned, looking between the pre-teen and the small girl. “I heard you had something for me and the big guy.”

“And Robin.” Martha and Tim said together.

Batgirl smirked at that while climbing in. “I heard, and I know about a certain someone’s unauthorized visit last night.”

“Wait—he was here!”

“Yep, he stayed until the Too Sharp stopped.” Martha chirped at his side.

“I, why didn’t you get me?” Tim wasn’t offended, but he was upset and had that weird grabby emotion was starting up. (Mrs. Mac called it envy, but she didn’t like that word. And it wasn’t green—green is a nice color and plants. Envy is a ‘hold it and cuddle’ to fix emotion. So it isn’t nice but needs you to be nice. She doesn’t like the con, conflation? She’s gonna ask Tim later.)

“He was at the window and wanted to know about Mom and Dad and me.” Martha was careful not to mention Mom felt worse than Ice while Dad made it feel like she couldn’t breathe most of the time. That would get looks and tests and she wasn’t getting tests like that. (Tim said people might try to keep them apart then. She wouldn’t let it happen. Wouldn’t slip.)

“Oh.” The grabby thing was gone.

Batgirl was watching them carefully. “So, where is this evidence?”

Martha pointed to the big zip-lock bag she and Tim used. “That’s the recordings. Me and Tim read my notebooks and its not good if you don’t read Martha Antoinesse.”

Batgirl was curious then.

“Its uh, Marebear has a habit of writing using French spelling, and accidentally made her own code." Tim gestured to his sister, "no cipher but her.”

Batgirl nodded, watching Martha look at her cape.

“Is it heavy?”

Batgirl smiled, kneeling down. “Not really.”

“Even when its raining?”

“Yep, still wet but not heavy.”

Martha nodded, looking out the window and smiling as—“Hi!”

Batgirl turned around to see no one there but… “So she’s not a hundred percent human, huh?”

Tim put Martha behind him. “She is.”

Batgirl put her hands up, “I mean, she’s the M-word.”

“Martha? Or is it the mom words that Jay Jay isn’t supposed to say?”

Tim did a double take. “How do you even—Reality or Soaps?”

“The Soaps don’t always censor it if you use subtitles. Though those can be really bad.”

“Is your spelling getting better?”

“Eh. Jay Jay helps with that when you’re busy.”

Batgirl smiled a little. “I’m guessing Jay Jay is someone important?”

“Of course he is, it’s Jay Jay!” Martha huffed. “That’s like saying Alfred isn’t Mr. Wayne’s Nanny, or that Mr. Wayne is actually Batman!”

Batgirl bit her cheek. Oh, she’s trying not to laugh.

Tim was giving her a look. “Martha…”

“Its true, he’s an insult and you know it!”

That had someone laughing outside the window. A laughing Robin was helped (re:thrown) in by Batman.

“I, she—“

“You’d get along with Jay Jay. You’re a lot a like.”

Tim mumbled in French, “more than you think.”

Martha turned to him at that, her mind whirling but… “Do you still need to notebooks? Oh, and you have translators that know the, the slang?” she turned to Tim.

He nodded.

Martha beamed, since she still messed up her French and English sometimes. She talks more French when Tim’s at school anyways.

“Yes,” Batman said calmly watching Tim. “We do. Martha, would you mind if we talk to Tim for a minute?”

Martha bit her lip. “Is this because you didn’t know about Tim and Robin?”

Robin opened and shut his mouth before nodding.

“Sorry! I know it was supposed to be a secret but there wasn’t anyone else around!”

“How would you—”

“Everyone has a, the,” She couldn’t find a word for it. “Tim?”

Tim sighed. “Mare knows what people are feeling at the moment, to who, and where they are. No idea how many, but she’s good with location.”

“Its why I win hide and seek,” Martha puffed out her chest with a grin.

“It’s totally cheating.”

Martha rolled her eyes with a huff. “Then so’s being bigger."

Batman observed the pair carefully.

Martha remembered something from the news then, the thing Tim and Mrs. Mac always cut off the feed during.

She looked small to everyone in the room then, curling in on herself as she looked up at Batman ~~no meta policy~~. “Do I have to go away?”

Tim put himself in front of her then. “She’s not going anywhere without me.”

Batman blinked as… “No, you don’t have to go away. Why would you think that?”

Martha and Tim shared a look.

“Batman doesn’t like people with powers.”

“Batman hates metas in Gotham.”

Robin’s face screwed up. “Oh hell—B, don’t even think of—“

Martha tugged Tim’s sleeve absently. “He calls Batman B like Jay Jay does Mr. Wayne. Are they secret friends too?”

The bats all heard that one.

“I—uh, I’m not his keeper,” Tim deflected with his eyes darting around the room. (Badly.)

Martha shrugged. “You can say you don’t know Tim-Tam. Plus, you’re my keeper, you can’t be two people’s keeper." Martha shook her head. "That’s too much work.”

“And yet Mrs. Mac manages us.”

“We both know she doesn’t—” Martha cut herself off. No going down that route.

It hurt.

Robin stepped forward, “Hey Tim, mind if we talk for a bit, in private?”

“Oh, are you doing the pictures again?” Martha watched them process her words. (She needed the distraction.)

“…yes?” Tim wasn’t sure. He’s guessing. But that’s okay.

“If you take Tim Tam on the roof I’ll get the camera.”

“What.” Robin looked at the other Bats for help while the siblings continued.

“Where do you keep hiding that thing!”

“That’s a Nunya question.”

“It is my business camera thief!”

“Only when you’re gonna do something dumb. Like go out during a storm.”

“One time and—how do you know about that!”

Martha leaned in then. “Why do you think I know to hide the camera?”

Tim opened and shut his mouth. “You checked the film.”

“And burned the negatives when you forgot a few times.”

Tim opened and shut his mouth. “You burned them.”

“Yep.”

“I am so blocking off the fireplace, somehow.”

“Wait, she used the fireplace?” Robin’s eyes darted back and forth between Martha and Robin. “She should not know how to do that.”

“And it shouldn’t be easy to make mustard gas with cleaner and pee but it still is.”

“How do you even—“

“The Kelly’s maid and Mrs. Mac talk sometimes. Apparently someone almost made mustard gas trying to clean up puppy pee.”

Tim patted her head. “And that’s enough about accidentally learning chemical warfare in front of Batman.”

“But isn’t mustard gas how you get mustard?”

“… Martha, I love you, but no.”

“Oh.” Martha looked down at that, because, well. Well... 

“Can I get my camera back?”

“When you’re on the roof.” Martha was Not budging. 

Tim sighed. “Can someone put me on the roof so she’ll get the camera?”

“I’ll do it,” Batgirl grabbed Tim. “Hold on.”

\--

Martha put on her Serious face. “No telling Tim-Tam! I mean it!”

Batman and Robin nodded.

“Good. ‘Cause Mom and Dad said the safe is bad luck but it’s a good safe and no one tried to get into it.”

Martha went to the floorboard that doesn’t creak but lifts up and opened the safe. Only Tim’s camera was there.

She walked over to Robin. “Here. Bring him back safe, okay?”

Robin nodded, carefully taking the camera.

Batman looked over into the safe. “There are two more in there.”

“Oh, those are backups if that one broke.”

“… you have backup cameras.”

Robin looked between Martha and Batman with a wide grin. “If you don’t, my money’s on your worst impersonator.”

Martha blinked as that... Didn’t make sense—if Batman doesn’t do what Mr. Wayne will do what?

Batman sighed. “Not now Robin. I’ll be with you and Tim in a bit.”

Robin left at that.

Martha bounced back and forth on her toes, very unlike who Mom and Dad wanted her to be.

“Martha, do you feel safe in this house?”

Martha’s brow furrowed at that. “Tim’s here.”

“I didn’t ask if Tim is here." Batman crouched down, watching her carefully. "I asked if you feel safe here when he isn’t.”

Martha rubbed her arm.

“If Mrs. Mac is here.”

“But not when your parents are here,” Batman said gently.

Martha rubbed her arm harder. “I…”

Batman put his hand over the one rubbing her arm. “Do you feel like you can answer the question if Tim isn’t around?”

Martha shook her head. “I, they’re Tim’s,” she trailed off, confused.

Batman moved to rub her back then.

She didn’t get why it was a hard question. She could do Hard Math easy, answer chemistry questions with Tim and his friends and she was good at history.

So why couldn’t she…

\--

“So, stalker.” Robin said when he landed on the roof. “Not the first, but you are a little more concerning than the baddies we handle.”

Tim rubbed the back of his neck as well… “I didn’t mean to figure it out, its just…”

“When you get something stuck up here,” Robin tapped the side of his noggin, “you gotta find out, right?”

For what it was worth, Tim did look apologetic. “Sorry, I just, put together it was the Flying Grayson signature quadruple flip on the news two, maybe three years ago and…”

“Hold up,” Batgirl interrupted. “You’ve known for years?”

“As in plural,” Robin clarified, stunned.

“Well, yeah.” Tim shuffled back a bit. “I’ve known for sure since I was nine.”

That had Batman’s full attention inside. Tim had known since he was nine. He was almost twelve now. That meant for about three years he could have confronted or exposed them, but hadn’t. Why?

Batman patted Martha head, said something about checking up on the kids and being back soon. Martha had nodded at that, closing her safe before they got back and took to tracing patterns in the wood so she wouldn’t ‘spy’ one them. She is a Good Girl. And Good Girls don’t spy on their brother(s).

\--

The group was quiet until Batman arrived, cowl up but the group could read Bruce Wayne in the cowl, not Batman.

“Tim,” he said it like a mild reprimand, “why didn’t you say anything?”

Tim shifted on again, clearly uncomfortable as, “why would I?”

Robin relaxed into Jason then, as he knew exactly why the kid wouldn’t—no reason to. Same logic as Pixie.

Bruce seemed to come to the same conclusion, his expression shifting. “You two will stay at the manor, its not good for either of you stay here.”

Tim froze at that. “I, Mother, Father, they…” he twisted the ends of his shirt at the thought.

“Are facing multiple charges, including willful negligence of both you and Martha. Mrs. March will be exempt if she agrees to testify against them. You will both have to stand a visit to the court’s therapist but otherwise…”

“You,” Tim was reeling. “You aren’t mad?”

Something in Bruce almost shattered at those words. Tim, it was like he couldn’t comprehend not being in trouble with hi—no, with someone in charge of him. (Likelihood of abuse high, most likely emotional and psychological given the Drakes tastes.)

“No Tim, I’m just disappointed that we didn’t prove to you that you could come to us about all of this.”

Tim was more relieved at that than anything else. “I, well, Batman, and its uh, its normal, you know?”

Batgirl—no, Barbra—spoke up then. “It really isn’t Tim, and it shouldn’t be.”

Tim shifted then, almost curled on himself.

“Hey, leave ‘im alone. Shit’s not easy to wrap yer head around when yer init, ya feel?”

Barbra opened and shut her mouth, a small sound of frustration coming from her throat.

Martha popped her head out the window then.

“It everything okay?”

“It will be,” Robin yelled down to Martha before the others could stop him. “You still got the goods?”

Martha poked her head out the window and nodded.

“Tim Tam first.”

Jason huffed. “Little lady drives a hard bargain, Tim, you good with this?”

Tim blinked from his spot, nodding slowly. “I, yeah, yeah I am.”

\--

The next morning Martha was woken up before Mrs. Mac came by. It was weird.

There were a lot of people in the house… she didn’t like it. their emotions were everywhere and she needed Tim before the swirlies stopped her from breathing.

Tim ran in though, ignoring someone yelling at him to “get back here this instant!”

He was helping her breathe when the person came in, and their swirlies froze.

“Oh. I see…” the person tried to kneel down but Martha wasn’t in Drake Mode but Martha Mode. And Martha Mode comes with hiding into Tim and whimpering.

Tim scowled above her. “Get back, she just woke up and there’s too much.”

The person scoffed. “I know you’ve kept her quite isolated—”

“Not by choice,” Tim grit out, helping Martha get up. She scurried behind him, clinging to his shirt. “We’re going to our sitter’s.”

“There is no need to bother Mrs. March,” the person began while Martha put on her sneakers and a coat.

“Alfred?”

“I called when I heard the cars, thought I’d have a little more time before you got up.”

Martha nodded minutely. It was too much and Tim was Safe but she needed something to make the Other Things (miscellaneous, some felt gritty, some felt smooth and shiny, another was burning and it made her feel sick on top of the mass of ‘things I don’t know what they mean’ feelings).

Tim dragged Martha to the door while the case worker followed, continuing to state that there was no need to bother anyone, and to not contact their family due to them being under investigation for numerous things now and—

“Master Tim, Miss Martha, a pleasure as always,” Alfred greeted them at the door. “Mr. Wayne is talking to the Commissioner.”

The caseworker froze. “You’re the sitter.”

Alfred straightened just a bit at that. “I believe Miss Martha has dubbed me the Wayne family nanny.”

Martha jumped from Tim to Alfred, something screaming “gets it” and “understands” in the back of her mind. He was quick to let her move behind him, a hand on her head to let her know it was Safe. He'd handle this.

“I’ll have the movers gather the children’s clothes later today.”

Martha’s nails dug into his pant legs from how hard they were clenched.

Commissioner Gordon walked over , seeing Martha (who was perfectly fine after a Scarecrow attack) cowering at the social worker didn’t bode well.

“Martha, good to see you again. You as well Tim,” Gordon greeted. “Now, I hear Mr. Wayne offered to take you in previously?”

Tim was the one to nod, Martha clearly in no state to, too twitchy.

“It was after Martha kind of ran into the blizzard last week—going after her wasps.”

Gordon’s face tightened at that. “I see. He did issue a complaint to me in private a few times previously about your situation. I’m sorry it took this long to get a legal reason to remove the two of you from your parents’ care.”

Tim moved closer to Alfred, eyeing Martha who was trying to focus but was having trouble (too much Other before she could focus the first time, he figured).

“Are you both certain about staying with Mr. Wayne, even though its close to your house?”

Martha nodded frantically, eyeing the house like it was a wild creature ready to pounce.

“I go where my sister goes.”

Gordon nodded. “Then I believe we can allow the kids to stay with Mr. Wayne while things are settled with their parents, especially given the high profile nature of this case and Martha’s… sensitivities, its best to avoid people in large groups.” Gordon turned to Bruce then. “Can you handle that?”

Bruce shook his head. “I’ve been doing my best to get these kids out this place for months Gordon, do you really think I wasn’t ready to take care of them too?”

Gordon smiled, nodded once, and gave the go ahead for Bruce to assume custody until the children’s family was cleared of all charges given their status(es) as crucial to getting the (rather impressively) incriminating recordings useable in numerous open cases, and able to open many more.

Martha ended up sitting between Tim and Bruce on the was to the mansion, only breathing really once they were almost there.

Bruce and Tim escorted her inside, where Jason scooped her up and brought her to the blanket fort in the main living room and put on Mrs. Frizzle for her to grumble about inaccuracies and huff about magic and science operating on different bases so Mrs. Frizzle should not be using a “magic” school bus, but some time and space machine or use elaborate immersion 3D goggles to be more realistic.

Tim was nabbed by Dick and Bruce to go over how he came to his conclusions in depth, and to ensure Tim gave Martha his picture collection to hide—the girl was good at it, and he did that before last night. (his ploy to find her hiding places... instead he got lost looking for her while she hid and retrieved.)

Apparently Martha's hiding is better than they were with keeping their secret identity Secret. (Mainly one small genius with an acrobat obsession, and _potentially_ the small meta cuddling Jason and critiquing a cartoon’s internal consistency with being Science centered when its called “magic school bus Jay Jay. It should be Science Central or something, not Magic." Yes. These two children were the Real Threat to the Bats... Clearly.)

\--

( ~~Surprising absolutely no one with her track record~~ ) Martha found the Batcave. In a week.

All it took was a small nightmare and things snowballed from there.

She was fine on waking up—uneasy but she just… needed to check they were there. (That she wasn’t in the Drake mansion). That she didn’t somehow end up sleep walking or dreaming up meeting Batman or that Mr. Wayne wasn’t an imaginary friend or something.

So she followed the ‘Safe’ feeling. Tim was the first she found.

Then she ended up in Mr. Wayne’s study. She knew someone was somewhere in there, well, behind the clock? Downstairs maybe?

But by then she saw the grandfather clock. And was more awake, and knew it was just a bad dream.

She could wake up Tim, but he was tired a lot from the case, so she knows he needs to sleep. (Waking him up would be Bad and she didn’t want to be Bad, to be like Mom and Dad. To be that cold, frozen, and just… empty.)

But there was a grandfather clock that she KNEW was the wrong time. And she wants to be Good (Not like Mom and Dad. Never like them) so she grabs her ipad and starts to look up how to fix the model.

The first instruction was the to check the face.

She grabbed a chair and stacked more than a few big books to get to the right height, and opened the face up.

The parts were working so she just needed to get it to the current time… 10:47, wait it was almost 48, she should wait.

She did, moving the hour hand to ten while she waited for her ipad to turn… yes!

She moved the minute hand in place with a grin.

Then the wall opened up and there were steps and, well. Martha heard there were rumors about some of the founding families having secret passage ways in her studies… She couldn’t wait to tell everyone! They’d be so surprised and—she should check it out to make sure its walkable—Alfred would try to clean it and he’s could get really hurt if he fell, more than her.

With this in mind, Martha nodded at herself and grabbed her ipad, turned on its flashlight and went down. There were a lot of stairs, and it was dark but not the scary kind.

She paused when she could catch… Safe? Why were there…

She moved a little faster then.

She kept getting lost though? she could feel where the Safe was but the place was made weird and there is a lot of cars in one area (and an ambulance? Why?) and then she walks into a lab of some sort before she can find another set of stairs (there are so. Many. Stairs. Very not accessible to tired kids and people that don’t walk good).

Then? then she ended up (again, somehow. Its still dark and her flashlight isn’t the strongest because ipad (she can feel Tim making comments from wherever she’s is now).

She stumble-ran to the Safe feeling this time, careful of anything she might trip over as it got brighter. There were so. Many. Screens. Mrs. Mac would tell her it was bad for your eyes to have that many screens with such tiny print. There was a big chair in front of them all though.

“It appears you found the entrance,” said the person in the chair. They turned around.

“Alfred, can I stay with you?” Martha shifted a bit, looking at the ceiling. There were bats. They looked like nice bats, but she’s not sure if they like people, or the screens keeping them up.

“Of course Miss Martha,” Alfred patted his lap in that way he did when the others weren’t around to see. “Come here.”

Martha clamored over carefully, taking to his lap and curling against him. He felt safe (the Sharp kept coming back. She doesn’t like it, it hurts. And the Bad Ice that only ever came off Mom and Dad was swirling around, in the background at least).

“Is there something you would like to discuss?”

Martha pressed a little closer at that. “How do you make the Sharp and Cold stop?”

Alfred rubbed her back, a few too many memories of doing the same with the rest of the Waynes (his family) at one point or another.

“I’m right here Miss Martha.”

Martha didn’t shake, but she did cling a little. (Sometimes the Bad Things would whisper like they were there. She knows they aren’t but they hurt so much and her sleeping self liked to remind her of them.)

Eventually Martha drifted off.

She woke up later when she heard something (engine) and felt something moving closer but couldn’t hear it. It felt Safe (Not Tim safe or Alfred Safe, something… a lot like Mr. Wayne and Jay Jay).

“Alfred, there’s people here, right?” Martha didn’t want to check. (There was an article on delayed reactions to fear toxin. She was up high during the thing and the fight wasn’t in the play room, and the toxin does sink (not rise) but maybe she was having delayed fear-toxin hallucinations? Why else would there be Safe without sound?)

Alfred rubbed her back at that. “Yes, they should be up in few moments.”

Martha leaned back then, looking for the Safes then. She didn’t see them, but she could…

Eyes shut and pursed her lips as she remembered why she was up in the first place.

“Mr. Wayne and Jay Jay shouldn’t be out this late. They weren’t upstairs before Alfred—don’t they have a bedtime?”

“I have been trying to enforce one, with limited success.” Alfred smiled then, “perhaps you’ll have better luck after tonight.”

Martha nodded turning to the moving Safes. It felt like Mr. Wayne was with them, maybe he was doing cave exploring?

But Mr. Wayne doesn’t have a cape or the head and face cover thing-y (cowl). But she does know someone who does.

“Mr. Batman, why do you feel like Mr. Wayne?”

Batman could only stare at Martha Antoinette Drake in Alfred’s lap at 4:30 AM.

Martha’s eyes went wide as panic set in. “Alfred! Alfred! Batman ate Mr. Wayne!”

Batgirl was the next to appear, pause, turn to a still stunned Batman, and then shake her head.

“Your new kids are a lot better at this than we thought.”

Robin came up after that. “Okay Babs, I get you like testing the impressions but that’s a little much even for Pi—Pixie!”

Martha furrowed her brow as only one person called her that.

“Jay Jay?”

Yeah, its me." Robin took off the domino to show her a nervous Jason. “Heya Pixie, how didja—“

Martha crossed her arms and swiftly turned to the Mr. Wayne eater with a scowl. “Mr. Batman, why are you letting Jay Jay stay out this late. He has school tomorrow.”

Alfred smiled behind Martha, raising an eyebrow at Batman, as she wasn't wrong.

“I--”

“That’s very irresponsible Mr. Batman. He needs sleep. The health books said so.”

Needless to say, it was an entertaining post-patrol. Especially as her follow ups included: “Why are you living in a cave?” and “Does Mr. Wayne know you live here?” and “Jay Jay, does Mr. Wayne know you’re Robin—Does Tim know too! No fair! Why didn’t I know!”

Batgirl was in her glory as the only one of the three to not have her identity compromised (by a child) that night.

Somehow (no one remembers how) Jason and Alfred convinced her to go back to her room and sleep there, with one of Jason’s pillows for extra safety from the Too Sharp and Too Cold. The fact that she didn’t put together Bruce and Batman are the same person that time was a testament to the girl’s age and lack of experience with her ability that she didn't nail them the first time as Batman and Robin at the Gala and still hadn't.

However, it did not last. It only take Martha until the next day when she went to show Tim the Batcave with a better flashlight (Tim was very excited) that she made that connection (Mr. Wayne _is_ Batman).

And only due to Tim mentioning he’s glad she knows about “the Batman thing,” as they descended and her not quite brushing it off.

It took Bruce returning and entering the Batcave to check on the others’ patrol reports for Martha get it from the trophy room, turning her head between Bruce at the computer, the Batman mug, then back up at the bats in the cave before yelling “Wait you’re Batman!”

The bats did not appreciate the wake-up call.

Needless to say, Tim had a small heart attack as he "revealed Batman!" and "I'm a horrible person!” while Bruce was trying to rewrite his security protocols mentally while handling a panicking pair of Drakes. Both prone to hysterics and dramatics.

It took Alfred cookies and (another) blanket fort to get the pair to calm down from that realization (mostly Tim. He was really worried. Martha was just asking questions—and asking if she could talk to Batgirl again because “She’s the best.”)

(That did not sting Bruce at all. Nope. Not at all... though if his daughter is more interested in another hero, he was glad it wasn't one of the more... questionable "heroes" _She could have idolized Poison Ivy at worst, and she wasn't asking about Huntress or. Or_ _Booster Gold. God help him if she ever looked up to Hal._ )

\--

“Are you sure I can’t kick butt yet?” Martha asked curiously. She knows her ability could help!

“You have to be at least twelve.” Bruce said without thinking. She’d lose interest by then, right?

“Twelve?”

“Twelve.”

Instead she narrowed her eyes, crossed her arms and said “So Tim gets to learn how to fight first?”

Bruce choked on his coffee.

Jason snorted while Tim looked up from the computers where he was learning about coding from Alfred.

“I learn how to what first?”

“Dibs on teaching Pixie!” Jason yelled before Batgirl could say anything.

“What—no, future batgirl, my student. Mine.”

“My sister!”

“Bat _Girl_ not a Robin.”

“Again, I get to what?” Tim looked about, confused. He didn’t want to fight. He just wanted to help, tech support and do things like Alfred. He knows he’s not a brawler—not built for it. He’d need constant weapons and doubted there were enough utility belts in the world to help him there.

“Bruce, tell her I get to teach her first!”

“Bruce, tell Jason I have Batgirl Mentor rights!”

Bruce had a headache trying to calm his kids down.

Martha took to pouting and grumbling about Bruce being rude about her being a girl since “Dick got to start when he was nine! Why can’t I start then?”

“No.”

\--

It took two months for the Drakes to lose any and all potential legal custody of their children. There were numerous charges—ranging from knowingly smuggling drugs and drug money in or with their archaeological finds, to money laundering, to more international ones that included outright and deliberate cultural heritage theft and bribery of foreign government officials.

Martha’s recordings were vital to each charge against the Drakes and many more, meaning she and Tim would not get their recorders back--much to Martha's dismay.

Drake Industries was (surprisingly) not dissolved. Somehow—no one was entirely certain how the company dodged that bullet—as it was listed under Timothy Drake’s name due to some ancient tradition held by the Drakes as a whole. (Apparently the youngest firstborn Drake in the main family line has immediate custody of the company in case of any scandals). Which meant for the time being, Drake Industries was a 'child company' as Martha and Tim put it with a grin, of Wayne Enterprises.

Bruce regretted the paperwork on principle. And the headache. His board had a field day for weeks with that discovery.

\--

He did not regret Martha’s way of waking the house up. On the contrary, he decided it was much better than when Dick was younger (he remembered those 'wake up already' flying kicks) or Jason when he was adjusting (pranks or some form of tackling). At this point, her 'forceful' wake-up was nothing.

“Get up, get up, get upupup UP!” Martha said while aggressively alternating between hugging his arm and gently tugging it toward the door.

“Martha, I was out late last night,” Bruce tried (and failed) to reason with her.

“Lies. I tucked you in before I went to bed.” Which was true. He would like to know how she figured out to do that on his “ocean bed” as Martha dubbed it.

“…I got up later?”

Martha huffed at Bruce, not caring he’s Batman. He’s Mr. “the butts match” Wayne. “You are a hazard to your own health.”

He could see why Alfred loved having her around—he now had a minion without requesting her to act as such. And this one made him feel guilty without acting.

“I…”

“No buts, its time to go!”

Never let it be said the youngest of the Waynes was anything but effective.

“And its a holiday tomorrow so Jay-Jay can do a full patrol tonight, but Batgirl can’t because Life.”

She also had yet to ask Batgirl for her secret identity—out of Respect. Or as Tim put it “she wants to meet her as a civilian and figure it out with her ability as a test.”

As yes, they are all both ignoring and acknowledging the fact he has a small meta daughter when metas are unofficially banned by Batman for Gotham-Makes-Metas-Evil-Somehow reasons.

And he is totally not keeping her out of vigilante life for that exact reason.

Totally.

( ~~He hadn’t found out about Jason, Dick, Tim, Barbra and Alfred’s lessons with her... Yet.~~ )

**Author's Note:**

> So, family Shenanigans or Miraculous Plot next installment? I'm good either way.


End file.
